


atop of the lake’s surface, we’ll perform pas de duex

by suguear8



Category: Princess Tutu, 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga)
Genre: Animal Transformation, Ballet, Ballet Dancer Agatsuma Zenitsu, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Kamado Tanjirou is a Ray of Sunshine, M/M, Princess Tutu - Freeform, Soft Shinazugawa Genya, brainrot, its part of the plot, just some mystical shit, please this is, tanjirou also a lil emotionless, yeah he’s princess tutu wtf are you gonna do
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26150356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suguear8/pseuds/suguear8
Summary: A ripple emitted from where the toe of his shoe tapped upon the water, waves erupting with every precise step he took. The fabric of his suit seems to float as he takes gentle steps, amber eyes glisten even with the lack of light, and his right hand flies into the air as if he was reaching towards the heavens.“I,” he speaks softly, another hand pressed against the silk of his shirt atop of his heart. “Prince Tutu, demand the prince’s heart shard be returned to him.”The raven smiles at him from atop the tree, the black feathers decorating her skirt glimmering as she leaped off.“Then I, Kraehe,” her purple eyes gleam with entertainment, so different and carefree from the other’s honey gold eyes filled with concern and sternness. “Demand that you come and get it.”
Relationships: Agatsuma Zenitsu & Daki | Ume (Kimetsu No Yaiba), Agatsuma Zenitsu & Everyone, Agatsuma Zenitsu & Kaigaku, Agatsuma Zenitsu & Kamado Tanjirou, Agatsuma Zenitsu & Uzui Tengen, Agatsuma Zenitsu/Shinazugawa Genya, Kamado Tanjirou & Tsuyuri Kanao, Kamado Tanjirou/Tsuyuri Kanao, Zenitsu Agatsuma/Kamado Tanjirou
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	atop of the lake’s surface, we’ll perform pas de duex

**Author's Note:**

> HAHAHHAHAA WTF
> 
> this is prologue rn bro plese
> 
> also a lot of this is based on the princess tutu anime lmao, so if you’re unfamiliar with it then idk watch it?? it’s really cute and this au was just brewing up in my head like tea

His toes ache from the constant pointe his feet are forced to remain in, his pale yellow shoes straightening once his feet become flat against the floor in defeat. The music that had roused from the piano no longer flooded the room, one final key being pressed before the only sound remaining within the studio was his tired breaths.

The hands that rested on the gold painted support bar were sweaty from constant grip, and his body felt sore.

To have become a student at this academy was a once in a lifetime opportunity but who knew that _twirling on your toes would garner so much pressure_?

Zenitsu sighed as his body became slack, collapsing on the floor in an attempt to relax all of his tightened up nerves.

“You’re never gonna’ get it if you don’t put ya’ fucking strength into it.” The girl behind the piano hummed, looking at her friend as she slid off the wooden seat and pranced to his side. Her hair tied up in a bunch of green and blonde, and her eyes bore down on the young man with exhaustion. “Playing the same piece has gotten me feeling tired.”

The blonde laying atop of the floor only sighed, his body flopping into his side to look at her directly. “Daki, you beat up people for the _most_ minuscule things. A simple piano piece wouldn’t exhaust your calloused fingers.”

She laughed, not making any attempt to dismiss the accusation of being a delinquent. After all, you can’t dismiss the truth.

“It doesn’t matter what I do,” she snorts, crouching down to poke at his freckled cheek with a neatly painted pointer nail. The appendage sinks into the baby fat, her lip gloss shined lips shining when they creased into a crooked smile. “At least _I_ managed to pass the beginner class.”

He huffs defeatedly, stretching his arms out.

“I feel like a _duck_.”

One of her hands reach up to comb through his hair, choppy blonde locks flopping and swimming through her fingers as she pondered his words.

“You’d certainly be a cute little duck.” She grins, entertaining the thought of a round bundle of yellow quaking and eating green peas off the surface of a pond. “Small and annoying, just like any other duckling.”

“Y-you don’t even attempt to deny it..”

Daki’s lips curl, nodding mockingly. “Why would I deny it? I don’t think in anywhere in my heart, I would be able to say no to a cute, little, _annoying_ , _stupid_ , _bratty_ , _dumb_ , _loud_ , _unintelligent_ , _monkey_ _brai—_ ”

“I get it!” Zenitsu screeched, rolling around. “I get it! _I get it_! I didn’t ask to be called a monkey brain!”

Daki laughed as he stopped rolling around, the ruby on his necklace slapping against his collar bones when he turned onto his right side. Her fingers are still laced into his hair as he reached up to clutch at the gem hanging from the gold chain, polished so that even within the darkness— it’d still retain its heavenly glow.

It’s been about four months since he’s gained this human form, much more young and frankly, kinda ugly, form.

He remembers standing up in the midst of the cold water of the pond; yellow feathered wings replaced with pale skin decorated with clusters of freckles, his hair dripping cold water in bunches of dark orange that seemed to glow into a bright gold up to the top of his head.

Zenitsu couldn’t stand at first, trying to find familiarity between his skinny duck feet and a pale human’s.

Then the tears came, so naturally too. They glittered on his waterline and dribbled out in fat blobs, leaving his freckled cheeks glistening with teardrops as he shakily held his hands out below his chin. Honey brown eyes watched the tears fall into the crevices of his palms, the clear liquid bunching up in the middle as more and more fell into the collection.

In the reflection of the pond, he could see himself.

There’s an innocence to his rounded eyes, the squishy cheeks, even his small, unmarred hands. If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve thought that he had been given the form of a girl.

“Quack?” Was the first thing that stumbled out of his unused lips, voice coming out more energetic and scratchy than he had expected. Maybe it was because this voice wasn’t crafted to make animal sounds, but he was quickly rid of the thought when his body glittered once more.

His fingers were no longer the sight of soft cuticles and perfectly kept nails, and instead the familiar image of his bright yellow feathers. His small form fell back into the pond, eyes wide and still wet from the tears.

With a soft splash, he had sputtered out once more before his head had sunk into the water. “ _Quack_!”

Zenitsu’s hair was fully soaked once he pulled his head out of the water, droplets sliding down his brow bone and dripping off his cheeks, falling down his neck as he sat up— pulling his hands up from water to see the fingers once again.

The tears returned, one blink and suddenly they’re falling out of his waterline similar to that of a waterfall. One slips into the crevice in the corner of his lips, and upon opening them to gasp, the blonde blinks in surprise by the saltiness, _he hadn’t tasted tears before_.

The necklace had sat amongst his neck since the day he had transformed, and it still remains there. Like a chain, a pretty, _definitely expensive_ chain. The red jewel’s surface is smooth against his thumb, glowing supernaturally as he brings the jewel into his palm. Amongst the wet skin, the jewelry seemed to mean more than it looked.

Zenitsu still believes it when he gets tugged off the floor of the dance studio, Daki scolding him for almost falling asleep on the floor, silencing him with ‘ _shut the fak’ up_ ’ when he would retort.

He doesn’t remember most things from that night, only the fog and a being in the distance urging him closer with the necklace in their hand. The glowing bead was swinging side to side, making a red semi-circle glow that drew the duck closer.

_Why had he become a human again_? _What caused him to wish for such a thing_?

“Don’t you remember?” She huffed, ivy green eyes boring into his own when they stop in the halls. The sunlight from the windows is now amber, golden hour glimmering over their faces as they look at eachother. Once again, Zenitsu’s reminded of how much taller Daki is when he looks up from his ballet shoes to meet her expression.

“We’re going out today, I promised I’d treat you to lunch!”

Zenitsu’s also reminded of the fact that Daki loves to treat her friends, and he wants to decline.. but the insistent cursing and reminders from the older girl have finally broken his resilience.

“N-nothing _too_ expensive then..”

She laughs at his stuttering words, continuing their journey to the student changing rooms with her calloused hand around his thin wrist.

“Just something to fatten your skinny ass up, you probably can’t even keep up a pointe because of how thin you are.”

_Loneliness_ , he decides, _that was probably the reason_.

As a bird, he hadn’t known what the feeling of companionship was. Just wallowing in the same old pond, no other smell aside from the dew left on the grass, no other taste aside from stale bread and dead water greens.

Unknowing of his future regarding his transformation and the ruby pendant; Zenitsu finds himself enjoying Daki’s insistence, the empty dorm room he wakes up in every morning, and the tiring lessons from his teacher.

Yet as fun and peaceful as it is, _this universe needs its Prince Tutu_.

**Author's Note:**

> this was an impulse fic POG POG LISTEN I HAD IT IN MY HEAD SO LONG SO LONG GOD GOD
> 
> yes i did listen to doja while writing this


End file.
